FREETOWN/LUNGI — President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal has been elected Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, succeeding Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
The election was announced at the 69th Ordinary Session of the regional bloc held on July 19, 2026, in Lungi, Sierra Leone, and confirmed in a statement by the Spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
Faye, who became Senegal’s president in 2024, takes over leadership at a time the 15-member bloc faces mounting political, security and economic challenges, including strained relations with the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger).
President Bio, while handing over, described the transition as seamless, expressing confidence in his successor. He said he was pleased to pass the mantle to his “younger brother” and wished him success in steering the regional body.
Nigeria played a prominent role at the summit, with Vice President Kashim Shettima leading the country’s delegation and reaffirming Abuja’s commitment to regional integration, institutional reforms and security cooperation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Nigeria remains committed to the ECOWAS Compact for the Future of Regional Integration and called for sustained dialogue to preserve unity within the bloc.
Under Faye’s leadership, ECOWAS is expected to prioritise economic integration, strengthen its peace and security framework, and address key regional issues such as youth unemployment, digital transformation and climate resilience.
His emergence marks another phase in ECOWAS’s rotational leadership system aimed at promoting inclusiveness and collective ownership among member states.
